Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree

We're back!  Our vacation was amazing.  We explored all over the Pacific Northwest then hung out at the beach in California for a few days.  We were out in the mountains and forests without cell service and it was the perfect excuse to check out from every day life for a little while.  There are lots of pictures up on my tumblr, strangeplaceforyoga, so go check them out!



Cooking on our trip was well... minimal.  We picked up food from a few farmer's markets and cooked it over an open fire in the woods.  Usually this resulted in charred burgers and more baked potatoes than we'd ever eat at home, but we found a few treats as well.  Corn over the open fire was charred and absolutely delicious! I didn't even miss the butter.  Still, I was happy to get back home and start cooking again.



The Monkey Scientist stayed out in California for a fellowship for a week after I left.  I have to admit - before he got back I was lazy.  But when he flew in the other night I put this meal together while his brother picked up him up at the airport.  It had just the amount of cutting necessary to relax me and remind me why I love cooking so much.  Plus, pasta = comfort food.  And pine nuts are my favorite.  I made a few pan-seared chicken breasts to throw on top because I knew he'd want some meat and they were an easy addition.  The dish is warm, cozy and comforting.  Despite the reliance on summer veggies, I'll definitely be bringing it back out this winter!



Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree
from smitten kitchen

Ingredients
1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (I used the golden variety)
3 cloves garlic, whole
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 oz balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with foil.
2. Combine the cubed eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes in a large bowl and toss to coat. Spread the mixture evenly on the foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 35 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden and beginning to brown on the edges.
3. Meanwhile, in a very small frying pan (I use one designed for 1 egg) add just the pine nuts.  Toast over medium heat, stirring nearly constantly, until they begin to brown.  Remove to a small plate or jar and set aside.
4. At the same time, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook according to package instructions then drain, reserving at least 2 cups of the pasta water.
5. Combine 3 tbsp olive oil and the mint leaves in the bowl of your food processor.  Add the roasted vegetables, then puree.
6. Pour the pureed vegetables, Parmesan, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice over the pasta.  The sauce will be thick, so add the reserved pasta water 1/2 cup at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.

Gardening in an Apartment

While this blog is about cooking, it's also about how to prepare great food at home even if you're living the apartment life, like me. I have just 1 oven, 4 burners (3 of which are small), and limited counter space. Yet nearly everything on this blog, I made at home. Which means you have no excuses. So when it comes to gardening, I want to encourage you to know that you can do it in your apartment, too! You're not going to grow an apple orchard, but there is no reason you can't grow some herbs and things!



The first thing I've been practicing with is what I call shot glass scallions. This is the easiest thing you can try at home! I have managed to kill many a plant in my day, but this has been a great success!

When you're cutting up your green onions, leave just a little bit more than the roots at the bottom. Instead of tossing the ends, plop them in tall shot glasses with a little bit of water. I forgot to take a picture the first day, but after 2-3 days they had already started to sprout this much.  You can see from my arrow where I had cut them.  The green had all grown in that quickly!  I was excited.



I changed the water once every 3 days or so.  After another week, this is how big my green onions were.  Almost usable!!  I'm so excited.  They needed barely any maintenance: no soil, just a little water and sunlight on our windowsill.  My mom had this great bud vase growing up that was the shape of 6 shot glasses connected to each other.  I think that would be perfect for this if I could find one. I might never need to buy scallions again if I just keep re-growing them!!



This was such a success that I'm going to start trying to grow a few more herbs - basil, rosemary, thyme, and peppermint - in pots outside.  I have a history of killing all of the above herbs (and even letting a small basil plant disappear off my DC balcony in a thunderstorm once) so we'll see what happens.   We're also trying some cherry tomatoes and habanero peppers, which are even more of an experiment.  I have a pretty little flower, too.  So we'll see what happens.  I'll give you an update in a couple of months!

Caprese-Topped Steak

I have been learning to love craft beers over the last few years.  Since college, I'm not a huge drinker, but I am getting quite skilled at drinking a half to a whole bottle of a really good beer lately.  It's been a long journey from ordering light beers to understanding what types of beers I actually like.  I know I'm not the only one who would choose a nice craft beer over a Bud Light.  The growing number of bars with loads of beers on tap are a statement that wine-lovers aren't the only ones who get to be picky anymore!



In DC, we used to love going to Comet Ping Pong, where not only is the beer list long, but the pizza is pretty stellar as well.  The fact that you can play ping pong while you wait for a table on their patio doesn't hurt either.  And it was at Comet Ping Pong that I learned to love a brown ale, but more specifically learned that my very favorite beer just might be Tommyknocker's Maple Nut Brown Ale.  If you're surprised that this beer infused with maple syrup is my favorite... Hi, I'm Dani and welcome to my blog that might as well be named yellebelly-full-of-maple.  And lucky for me, I found a single bottle of this gem in the Make Your Own 6-Pack section of my local Jewel last week.  Unlucky for me, I only found a single bottle.  Can we find me some more please?



My favorite beer, well most beers really, went great with this flank steak, broiled and topped with a caprese salad.  I know what you're thinking, "wait a minute, Dani, you ate tomatoes?"  Yes folks, I have been learning to tolerate, maybe even like, cherry tomatoes.  As long as they've never seen a refrigerator.  Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks after all!  Because man, I loved every bite of this dish!



Caprese-Topped Steak
from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients
1 (2 lb) flank steak, about 1 inch thick
1 1/2 c dry red wine
1/2 c olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
caprese topping
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 small shallot, diced (I left this out)
1/2 c mini mozzerella balls, quartered
10 basil leaves, freshly chopped or chiffonaded
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/8 tsp garlic salt
pinch of pepper


Instructions
1.  In a large ziploc bag, combine the steak, red wine, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Shake it up, then let it marinate for 2-24 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Place the marinated steak on a foil-lined cookie sheet and broil on high for 6 minutes on each side, or until it's starting to char.  You're welcome to grill it too, if you're into that.
3. Pour the extra marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until it is reduced and you've killed all the evil steak bacteria.
4.  In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, shallot (if using), mozzarella balls, basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic salt, and pepper.  Toss to coat.
5.  Allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes before slicing (unless you're impatient like me and hungry enough to eat dried out steak).  Serve slices topped with caprese salad.  Serve the reduced marinade on the side as a sauce for those who'd like it (or would like to dip freshly baked french bread in it).